To distribute warmth throughout a building, a heating system usually generates heat from a source such as a boiler or a furnace, transfers that heat to either air or water and then circulates the heated air or water through a network of ducts or pipes. A thermostat regulates the process of maintaining a desired temperature level; in other words, it turns fuel into heat that is then distributed through a system of pipes or ducts to warm a space. Let’s learn more about how the heating system works.
How Heating System Works
Three key components make up climate control systems in homes and buildings, such as air conditioning and heating: a supply of air to warm or cool, a way to transport this air, and a control device, such as a thermostat, to manage the system.
Cool air from air conditioners and warm air from furnaces are usually distributed and managed by the same systems. For instance, the cool air in homes with central air conditioning is frequently controlled by the same thermostat and passes through the same ducts as the heating air. Heat transfer from a warmer to a cooler region is the fundamental idea behind both heating and cooling. While air conditioners take heat to cool your home, furnaces, and heaters add heat to the atmosphere to warm it.
These systems are powered by various energy sources. For instance, air conditioners usually run on electricity, but home heating systems might run on gas, fuel oil, or electricity. A multipurpose electrically powered climate control device that may be used for both heating and cooling is an electric heat pump. A heat pump extracts heat from the air in your house throughout the summer. To warm your house in the winter, it draws heat from the outside air. The furnace generates heat by burning fuel (gas, oil, or electricity) when it is turned on. This heat is then sent through pipes, ducts, or wires and released through radiators, heating panels, or registers. Older heating systems may use a boiler to store and heat the water supply, which is subsequently circulated as hot water through pipes in the ceiling, floor, or wall to warm the air.
Conversely, when an air conditioner is turned on, it cools gas in a coil to a liquid state using electricity. As the warm air in your house comes into touch with the cooling coil, this process cools it. After cooling, the air is sent to various rooms via ducts or, in the case of room air conditioners, straight from the unit.
Heating System Types
Central Heat: Boilers
Boilers are water warmers used for specific purposes. Boiler systems disperse the heat in hot water, which releases heat as it travels through radiators or other devices in rooms across the house, whereas furnaces transfer heat in warm air. After cooling, the water goes back to the boiler to reheat. Many people refer to hot water systems as hydronic systems. Heating oil or natural gas are the most common fuels for residential boilers.
The Process:
- The boiler uses electricity, oil, or natural gas to heat water.
- Radiators or underfloor heating pipes receive hot water or steam via pipes.
- The heat is released into the space by the pipes or radiators.
Central Heat: Furnaces
The way a furnace operates is by forcing heated air via ducts, which then use air registers or grills to distribute the warm air to each room in the house. This kind of heating system is known as a forced warm-air distribution system or ducted warm-air system. Fuel oil, natural gas, or electricity can all power it.
The Process:
- The furnace is activated by the thermostat.
- The air is heated by the burner and then cooled by the heat exchanger.
- The heated air is circulated into your living areas via ducts and vents by a blower fan.
Central Heat: Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are only two-way air conditioners; the cooling systems section provides a more thorough explanation. An air conditioner transfers heat from the relatively chilly interior to the relatively warm exterior during the summer. This trick is reversed in the winter by the heat pump, which uses an electrical system to scavenge heat from the chilly outside and release it within the house. To distribute heated air throughout the house, nearly all heat pumps use forced warm-air delivery systems.
The Process:
- The heat from the air is absorbed by the outside unit.
- Heat is transferred to the interior unit via the refrigerant.
- The interior coil releases the heat into the living area, frequently with the help of a fan to move the air about.
Direct Heat: Electric Space Heaters
Although they are cheap to purchase, portable (plug-in) electric heaters are expensive to operate. “Oil-filled” and “quartz-infrared” heaters are examples of these resistive heaters. Like a clothes iron or toaster, they directly transform electrical current from the power socket into heat. Just keep in mind that electric resistance heat is rarely advised because it is typically the most costly type of heat.
The Process:
- Heat is produced when electricity flows through a resistor, also known as a heating element.
- After then, the heat is either radiated straight into space or dispersed with the use of a fan.
Direct Heat: Gas-Fired Space Heaters
One kind of heating system that produces heat for a room or small area is a gas-fired space heater, which runs on butane, propane, or natural gas as fuel. These systems are frequently utilized in locations that demand a direct, effective method of heating a particular area but do not require a central heating system.
The Process:
- Fuel is delivered to the heater via a gas line that is connected to a natural gas source or propane tank.
- After being combined with air, the gas is burned in a burner to produce a flame.
- Heat is transferred to the surrounding air by the hot combustion gases as they pass through a heat exchanger.
- The heated air from the heat exchanger is blown into the room by a fan.
- The carbon dioxide and water vapor that are produced during burning will have to be safely released outdoors using a flue or vent system.
Direct Heat: Pellet And Wood-Burning Stoves
If you like piling wood and stoking the stove or furnace, wood heating might make a lot of sense in remote settings. In general, wood costs less than gas, oil, or electricity. You can save a lot of money if you cut your wood. Compared to hardwood stoves, pellet stoves have several benefits. They provide customers with better convenience, temperature control, and indoor air quality while emitting less pollution than wood stoves.
The Process:
- Heat is produced by burning wood or pellets in the stove.
- The heat is circulated throughout the space by a fan or convection system.
Conclusion
A heating system distributes warmth throughout a structure by producing heat in a boiler or furnace, converting it to air or water, and then moving the heated air or water via a system of pipes or ducts. To keep the temperature at the proper level, a thermostat regulates the operation. A source for heating or cooling air, a way to transport this air, and a control device, such as a thermostat, are the three main components of climate control systems used in houses and buildings. For this reason, understanding how heating system work is vital.
